Restaurants, shops small to big: Hicksville 'has everything'

THE SCOOP Homebuyers are drawn to Hicksville for its relatively low taxes — due to industry in outlying areas — and an express train that can get to Penn Station in 40 minutes, said Karen Donovan of Donovan Brothers Realty. A third reason is its diversity, which has brought a variety of stores and restaurants to the hamlet, as well as many different houses of worship, said Harpreet Singh, an agent with Property Professionals Realty.

“Hicksville has everything, from restaurants to the mom-and-pop shops to big retail,” Singh said. “And everything is within maybe 10 minutes away from each other. Even if you want to go out East, Hicksville is the center of pretty much everything, with access to the highways.”

The hamlet is the go-to place on Long Island to dine at Indian and other South Asian restaurants and shop at markets such as Patel Brothers, Apna Bazar and Maharaja Farmers Market.

The hamlet is located on the Hempstead Plains, which were largely undeveloped until Jericho business owner Valentine Hicks had the idea of creating a town in 1834. There was no easy way to get there until, as a board member of the Long Island Rail Road, he got the Hicksville station built in 1837. By 1849 it had become a convenient depot for produce, and a community grew around the station. By 1959 Hicksville had been transformed into a bustling area.

In 2017, the state awarded the hamlet a $10 million grant that included the cost of designing a plan to revitalize the downtown around the train station as a walkable community. It has been delayed as the LIRR and the Town of Oyster Bay work out an agreement about a pedestrian walkway and expanded John F. Kennedy Memorial Park. There’s also a proposed $69.8 million mixed-use apartment building for the area in discussion.

House hunters will find entry-point Capes and ranches at around $500,000. Expanded Capes list from $600,000 to $750,000. There are luxury homes in the Field Estates and Hillside Terrace, which have larger split levels and Colonials from $700,000 to $850,000. Rebuilt older homes range from $900,000 to $1.2 million.

Hicksville had a main street until the 1930s, when Routes 106 and 107 were built. Today, the Broadway Commons is the main shopping area. There are many shops and restaurants on Route 107 South and South Oyster Bay Road.

The Hicksville Gregory Museum on Heitz Place, the former site of the Old Hicksville Courthouse, offers educational programs in the earth sciences for all ages. For recreation, residents enjoy Cantiague Park and access to two town beaches: Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park to the north, in Oyster Bay, and Tobay Beach on the ocean to the south.

CONDOS AND CO-OPS There are no condos or co-ops on the market.

SALE PRICES Between Sept. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022, there were 418 home sales with a median sale price of $635,000, according to OneKey MLS. The low price for that period was $340,000 and the high was $1.44 million. During that period a year earlier there were 491 home sales with a median sale price of $570,000. The price range was $88,000 to $1.275 million.

OTHER STATS

Town Oyster Bay

Area 6.79 square miles

ZIP code 11801

Population 43,869        

Median age 41.5

Median household income $119,190

Median home value $650,000

Monthly LIRR ticket from Hicksville $277

School districts, graduation rates Hicksville (95%), Bethpage (97%), Syosset (98%)

Parks Cantiague, John A. Walker Memorial, Cpl. Kevin T. Kolm Memorial parks

Libraries Hicksville, Bethpage, Syosset

Hospitals Plainview Hospital, Syosset Hospital, Nassau University Medical Center

Transit NICE Bus Routes 22x, 24, 48, 49, 78, 79, 80

SOURCES: 2020 Census; 2020 American Community Survey; OneKey MLS; LIRR, data.nysed.gov 

NOW ON THE MARKET

$830,000
This 1,830-square-foot, four-bedroom, two-bath Tudor built in 1928 has been restored, with an extended gourmet kitchen with a breakfast nook, living room with a fireplace, a formal dining room and sunroom. French doors and sliders lead to a yard with a wraparound deck. A full basement has a recreation area and storage, and an 80-foot driveway that leads to a two-car garage on the 0.23-acre lot, which is in Field Estates. Taxes are $11,133. Karen Donovan, Donovan Brothers Realty, 516-822-1222.

$699,000

Built in 1956 on a 0.23-acre lot, this four-bedroom, two-bath, 2,000-square-foot Cape features a front porch, eat-in-kitchen and living/dining room with four skylights, a wall of windows and a sliding-glass door to a covered patio. A first-floor bedroom has a full bath. The property is fenced-in and includes a saltwater inground pool. The attached garage and driveway holds four cars. Taxes are $12,018. Margie Horowitz, Berkshire Hathaway, 516-741-3070.

$615,000

This four-bedroom, one-bath expanded Cape, built in 1953 on a corner 0.13-acre property, has a covered front porch, hardwood floors throughout, an open-concept first floor with updated kitchen and bath, and a formal dining room. There’s a full finished basement and a one-car attached garage. Taxes are $10,172. Kari Caulfield, Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty, 516-313-9792.

RECENTLY SOLD

$1.44 million

Colony St.

Style Colonial

Bedrooms 6

Bathrooms 5

Built 2015

Lot size 0.2 acre

Taxes $17,126

+/- List price -$48,888

Days on market 119

$989,800

Dean St.

Style Colonial

Bedrooms 4

Bathrooms 3½

Built 2014

Lot size 0.14 acre

Taxes $14,890

+/- List price +$30,800

Days on market 59

$775,000

Georgia St.

Style Colonial

Bedrooms 6

Bathrooms 3

Built 1952

Lot size 0.11 acre

Taxes $12,808

+/- List price +$40,112

Days on market 121

ON ONEKEY MLS

Number of listings 83

Price range $400,00 to $1.511 million

Tax range $8,618 to $15,171